The present invention relates to hinges for supporting thin doors, panels, lids, and thin covers and the like.
Various types of hinge assemblies are known in the art and are particularly useful for securing a door, cover or the like to a frame or other hinging surface. In many cases, hinge assemblies include multiple parts that must be connected and assembled for installation. There are leaf hinges which can comprise a single piece hinge member, which itself, may consist of a group of elements. A leaf hinge typically has one “wing” plate mounted to a door panel and another wing plate mounted to a frame, thereby facilitating the door panel to swing relative to the frame. There are also adjustably provided hinges that contain elements that can be adjusted to position the hinge. The addition of the adjustment elements, while facilitating the positioning of a hinge, also increases the installation time and the production cost.
Generally hinges have been known to include a pair of opposite parts that are pivotally connected to one another by a pintle serving as a vertical pivot pin. For example, it is customary to provide a simple pintle consisting of a cylindrical shaft that can slide into interlocking barrels on each wing plate to hold the hinge together. The pintle can be provided with a head that engages the upper side of the uppermost hinge knuckle to hold the pintle in position. Generally, the pin is maintained by its configuration and gravity.
It is further known to provide a pintle of a composite construction and having a torsion spring which acts against the leaf hinges for automatically swinging the door to a closed position. When the leaf hinge is installed in the usual manner, one hinge leaf is attached to the door panel edge and the other hinge leaf is attached to the frame. Usually, this type of hinge can be concealed between the door edge and the frame, with the hinge knuckles being visible. This type of hinge, however, has the problem of being susceptible to permitting unauthorized access to an enclosure by removing the hinge pintle. Although some solutions have been provided by furnishing additional hinge components, such as the “hinge pintle retaining means”, shown by Curry, et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,073,037, the added components make the hinge more complex, and can increase installation and production costs.
Such leaf hinges, as shown by Curry et al. do not solve the fundamental problem of the hinge coming loose or the hinge bending the thin panel or lid to which it is attached. Moreover, with leaf hinges, the pivot pin is usually driven into the barrel shaped bosses (Curry et al. knuckles). For thin panel and thin lid installations, this requires special care, including the use of a special tool.
What is needed is an easy to assemble hinge for holding an pivoting relatively flimsy or thin panels or lids.
What is further needed is such a hinge assembly that does not require driving a pivot pin or pintle into position.
What is even further needed is such a hinge assembly that includes a support or reinforcement for attachment of the leaf or wing to the relatively thin plate or lid.
What is also desired is a detent mechanism with the hinge assembly that assists in holding the hinge assembly in pre-selected position.
What is further desired is an indicator that provides a signal when the hinge is opened.